Psalm 14:6  
The Lord our refuge
   The weak and the helpless cannot defend themselves. Wicked people abuse them and plunder them as they follow their evil and selfish inclinations, which is the converse of true righteousness which reveals itself in love and concern for others. No matter how correct our theology or conscientious our religious fervour, true righteousness is revealed in selflessness. 
How do evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor? The text correctly reads, “You have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge.” In other words, the weak and helpless
find their counsel in the Lord who is their refuge, but the wicked pour scorn and ridicule upon such dependence for they trust only in themselves. 
The wicked despise our reliance on God, they scoff at our moral obedience, they laugh at our purity and accuse us of needing a crutch. They “rubbish” the claims of God’s Word and haughtily deny that they need spiritual help and guidance. In their arrogance, it is the name of Jesus and the Lord our God who they swear at and swear by; it is never the other lesser gods of the religions of our age. The only One they defy is the truth and thus they condemn themselves in their foolishness.  This has been at the heart of the Satan’s persecution strategy since the beginning of the church age. Isn’t it amazing that David saw and understood it so clearly? Is there any doubt that these Psalms are God’s Handbook on Spiritual Warfare? If you suffer from the accusations of the wicked, remember to take refuge in the Lord. Many suffer as we do but His truth and His protection will outlive them all. Hallelujah!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 4:1 Smear campaigns

Psalm 4:1    Smear campaigns   The background to this Psalm is so familiar; David is being slandered and maligned by his detractors.  It seems that some calamity has befallen the nation and the king is getting the blame! Lies are being told, a smear campaign has begun, and the reputation of the Sovereign is under threat.  As usual, if something goes wrong, culpability is laid at the feet of the one in charge.  David, quite rightly, turns to the Lord his God and prays for relief and for mercy. The Satan is a master of such campaigns and his emissaries gleefully turn on Christians in leadership positions although the whispering campaign can affect all of us. The whispering starts in our own heads, but it can also come from the lips of our detractors. It goes something like this: - You’re the reason it went wrong You messed up again You should have seen it coming Surely you know better You are not worthy You don’t know what you’re doing Someone else ought to be in c
Read more

Psalm 74:16

Psalm 74:16 God established the sun and the moon “ In  the beginning   God created   the heavens   and the earth.   2  Now the earth was formless   and empty,   darkness was over the surface of the deep,   and the Spirit of God   was hovering over the waters. 3  And God said,   “Let there be light,” and there was light.   4  God saw that the light was good,   and he separated the light from the darkness.   5  God called   the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”   And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” These, so familiar, words from Genesis 1 remind us of who is in charge! There would be no light without God. There would be no day or night without God. There would be no earth without God. And there would have been no living things unless God had created order out of chaos. The sun, moon and stars would not be fixed in their orbits without God and you and I would not exist unless He ordered our conception. It is because we see God as glorious, righteous
Read more

Psalm 71:17

Psalm 71:17 Since my youth ..... You have taught me I am reminded here of Paul’s words to Timothy.  “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”  2 Timothy 3:14-15.  “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, lives in you also.”  2 Timothy 1:5. Timothy and David may well have enjoyed a similar upbringing. We know that Timothy’s mother was a Jewish Christian although his father was an unbelieving Greek. (Acts 16:1) It appears that the boy had a Christian grandmother also and, as Jewish boys began to study the Hebrew Scriptures at the age of five, Timothy would certainly have been taught by his mother and grandmother from infancy. Wouldn’t it be great if all our children were able to say,
Read more